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As an independent artist, I seek to do things in my own creative and distinct way. I have a passion for Photography because of its seamless process and unparalleled ability to produce the images I love. I love my family, being outdoors, enjoying nature and the elements, exploring abandonments that often become instinctive spiritual experiences, and most of all documenting our history - creating art in locations that might soon be destroyed. I frequently shoot in places that most people choose not to venture. Photographing abandoned buildings, deserted landscapes and forgotten places with historical importance… this is what captivates me the most and in turn produces compelling and memorable images. Project Statements: Angel Island-Fort Mcdowell-Hospital This project is a focus on the architectural beauty of neglected places, specifically the hospital at Fort McDowell on Angel Island. Discovering and unearthing the places around us is part of human nature. Since most of our world has been mapped and plotted, it seems logical to turn our attention to the remnants and remains of the recent past. Urban decay is all around us, and buildings with historical purpose hold special meaning. It is sadly ironic that a building that contained the efforts of so much healing and care, is now completely devoid of those actions – not only within its walls, but for it’s walls. Angel Island-Fort Mcdowell-Main Mess Hall Fort McDowell on the east side of Angel Island processed thousands of soldiers in World War I and World War II. This historic fort served as a crossroads for soldiers coming and going from the Pacific Theater. One of the buildings still standing was perhaps the largest mess hall in the Army at the time. It could serve 1,400 men at once. Known as the Main Mess Hall, this building is in disrepair and is uninhabitable. The structure is boarded up and has a fence surrounding it, as well as signs stating its condemned state. Unfortunately there are no plans to restore it to its former glory. Because it is as old as it is and due to not receiving the attention it deserves - over the years it has succumbed to the elements. For this project I have chosen to photograph this building in its current state. Most people will never be able to enjoy this structure but will only be able to see it through my images. I like the thought of these images being a way to honor history and produce a permanent memory of a place that will never be the same. Through my photographs I stop time, help create a memory and help preserve this special place. The Presidio Doors have fascinated me all my life. It is often said that walls could tell many stories, but to me, doors are more revealing: who has passed through them and when in history…for what purpose? An old door is the portal to the moments when lives encounter defining times of decision making – some of which may ultimately transcend daily life. This is a series of doors in the Presidio that are effectively serving as time capsules to the past. They no longer posses the ability to capture anyone’s transcending moments, because the structures they are part of no longer foster life. Despite this truncation of function, these doors remain a representation of untold human activity - their inability to be opened and closed on a daily basis hasn’t changed their ability to remain as stewards over the memories that were once made behind them. The Bunker Project These are the bunkers and related structures of war in the Marin headlands. Crumbling souvenirs of battles that never were…or that were waged elsewhere. These seacoast fortifications ultimately were built to defend us from wars that never quite arrived on our shores. Soldiers sat here waiting for the enemy to appear on the horizon, waiting to receive orders to fire and to be fired upon. No ships arrived however, and the nature of modern warfare rendered the bunkers obsolete. Now the structures - not the soldiers, sit waiting. Waiting for protection from the environment that is poised to overtake them.